Description

It's often said that a good book takes us somewhere we've never been before, and here's the proof: a book-lover's Baedeker to more than 500 literary locales across the United States and Europe. "Novel Destinations "invites readers to follow in the footsteps of much-loved authors, discover the scenes that sparked their imaginations, glimpse the lives they led, and share a bit of the experiences they transformed so eloquently into print. If you're looking to indulge in literary adventure, you'll find all the inspiration and information you need here, along with behind-the-scenes stories such as these: After Ernest Hemingway survived two near-fatal plane crashes during an African safari, he perused his obituaries and sipped champagne on a canal-side terrace in Venice. Washington Irving's wisteria-draped cottage in the Hudson Valley was once occupied by members of the Van Tassel family, immortalized in "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow." A mysterious incident at a stone tower near Dublin made such a vivid impression on James Joyce that he drew on it for the opening scene of "Ulysses." Sir Arthur Conan Doyle consulted on the mystery of Agatha Christie's 1926 disappearance before she resurfaced under an assumed name in northern England. Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The House of the Seven Gables "was inspired by a seaside manse in Salem, Massachusetts, infamous witch trials in which his ancestor played a role.

About the Author

Shannon McKenna Schmidt, a freelance writer with a passion for reading and travel, spent ten years working in marketing for various book publishers. She is coauthor, with Joni Rendon, of "Novel Destinations".

Joni Rendon, a freelance writer with a passion for reading and travel, spent ten years in marketing and editorial in the book publishing industry. She is coauthor, with Shannon McKenna Schmidt, of "Novel Destinations".

Matthew Pearl is the "New York Times" bestselling author of "The Dante Club" and the editor of the Modern Library editions of Dante's Inferno (translated by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow) and Edgar Allen Poe's "The Murder in the Rue Morgue: The Dupin Tales. The Dante Club" has been published in more than thirty languages and forty countries around the world. Pearl is a graduate of Harvard University and Yale Law School and has taught literature at Harvard and at Emerson College. He lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He can be reached via his website, www.matthewpearl.com.

Praise For…

"Want to explore more than 500 literary landmarks without leaving your living room? Then pull up an armchair and pick up a copy of Novel Destinations. "Tampa Tribune